If you have a site hosted on Blogger, or are considering starting a site on Blogger, you may have received this message yesterday:

Important Update to Adult Content Policy on Blogger

You are receiving this message because you are the admin of a blog hosted on Blogger which is identified to have Adult content.

Please be advised that on June 30th 2013, we will be updating our Content Policy to strictly prohibit the monetization of Adult content on Blogger. After June 30th 2013, we will be enforcing this policy and will remove blogs which are adult in nature and are displaying advertisements to adult websites.

If your adult blog currently has advertisements which are adult in nature, you should remove them as soon as possible as to avoid any potential Terms of Service violation and/or content removals.

Sincerely,

The Blogger Team

While you may try to “risk it” and see what happens, here are some alternatives and recommendations for moving your blog to a safer site:

1. Back up your blog! Under the “Template” section, click “Backup/Restore” in the upper right hand corner and then save the file. Then, go “Settings” and then “Other”, click “Export blog” at the top and save that file (this contains your posts and comments). Since your pics are all also hosted here, you’ll need to download them all too if you don’t have them saved elsewhere locally. Google has complete instructions for backing up these pictures.

2. Find another free platform? Two of the other biggest free blogging platforms out there are WordPress and Tumblr. WordPress does not allow affiliate links in blogs hosted with them, so I recommend avoiding them for free hosting. While Tumblr currently allows adult and says that they will continue to allow adult (just make sure to flag your site NSFW!), there are also risks with excessive affiliate links – in their “Community Guidelines,” under “Spam,” they include creating “blogs with the primary purpose of affiliate marketing.” While this phrase and your blog may be debatable in the extremities of its meaning, it is good to keep this mind just in case. There are a number of various of free blogging platforms (and ones that specialize in adult), however, over the years, some have come and gone or may also change their rules in the future, so if you choose this route, just research and be careful.

3. Go solo! Buy your own domain and host it yourself. For a long-term strategy, this is best, and is really not that difficult or costly. For example, at Godaddy, .com domains are about $10.99/year and if you want private registration (so your name and address aren’t publicly available) it’s only an additional $7.99/year). Hosting there can be as cheap as $2.99 (note: it appears everything there is on sale currently). This is just one example, many people use DreamHost and HostGator as well for inexpensive hosting. Different people have different experiences with different companies, so if possible, ask others for recommendations, and make sure to read each company’s terms to ensure that they allow adult content as well.

4. Install a blogging platform.WordPress is an extremely popular option that is pretty easy to get the hang of and has a multitude of free plugins available as well to simplify various things (since you’ll be hosting this yourself, you can add affiliate links to your heart’s delight!). Another popular option is Joomla. Both of these have pros and cons, as well as what kind of interface will work best and will be easiest for your needs. Again, if possible, ask others for recommendations, and check out different systems to see which you feel more comfortable with.

5. It’s easy to learn! There are a multitude of free tutorials online for setting up your own website. If you don’t mind spending a little money to learn even more, Lynda.com can be a great source of tutorial videos for a huge variety of skills from technical to creative to even business oriented for a small cost.

If you have any questions, feel free to contact me monicaj@stockroom.com

Cybernet Expo, coming up July 8-10th, has always been one of my favorite shows, with business focused attendees, intimate atmosphere, and of course, the infamous party at the Armory Building in San Francisco! Stockroom.com is proud to be a sponsor of the show this year, so if you’ll be at the show, let’s meet up! Come visit me at our Show & Sell table on Saturday where I’ll be giving out lots of goodies, or email me to schedule a meeting monicaj@stockroom.com. Look forward to seeing you soon!

Webmaster Access West is coming up November 19th-21st here in sunny Los Angeles, and I’d love to meet you. If you’re going to be in town for that event or if you’re located here anyway, I’d be delighted to take you around our factory of goodies and show you where the magic is made…

Next, I’d like to start a new recurring feature for Product of the Week… People are always asking me what the best way to make money is. Here’s one of the best I can think of: feature specific items with affiliate deep-links. Like the way the lovely picture of Sunny Leone is featured above… (Don’t forget to use your affiliate code or co-branded store link!!!) Also, some “call to action” text is always a good idea like, “GET HER OFF” or “CHRISTMAS IS COMING”… Anything to entice your users to click the banner is smart. Also, please respect our watermark. 😉 Thank you, kindly.

Finally, please contact me to schedule a meeting, even if you can’t make it to LA. We can chat about business, sex toys, fetish gear, or anything else you have on your mind. Shoot me an email or give me a ring!!If you’re not signed up yet, what are you waiting for??

We’re well on our way to a brand new Stockroom site and new Affiliate platform to be launched very soon!! We appreciate all of the support that you’ve given us and I personally want to assure you that you won’t be disappointed with the new changes that are coming.

I want to mention one of our newest Affiliates that’s pictured here with me. Her name is BaunFire and she is a spicy one, no doubt! She’s a great gal that’s most definitely going to make a splash in the community. BaunFire and I look especially suave wearing the new Stockroom t-shirts…

Also, if there are any of you in the Los Angeles area and would like to come in for a tour of Stockroom, please contact me to set something up. We have a 35,000 sq/ft facility where we manufacture, wholesale, retail, and have our administrative offices. It is truly an amazing place and a must see if you’ve never been here.

Thanks again to all of our affiliates, and don’t hesitate to get in touch with me if you need anything!! If you’re not signed up yet, what are you waiting for??

TAMPA BAY, FL – Cybernet Expo has upped the ante again, this time with the announcement that the very talented Evangenitals will be performing live for attendees at next month’s show in Tampa Bay. The performance will take palce at the Hilton Westshore in Tampa Bay, the host venue for Cybernet Expo, and will include free drinks provided courtesy of sponsors AEBN and Stockroom.com. The show will be limited to Cybernet Expo attendees only.

With a sound that the band describes as “hillbilly love punk alternative country psychedelic healthy hippie dirty rock revolution,” or as one fan describes as “like the Dixie Chicks being beaten with their own guitars at the playful hands of the Violent Femmes,” the Evangenitals have a loyal following in the Southern California music scene. They have already released the collection “We Are the Evangenitals,” and a second LP is scheduled for release in the summer of 2007.

”The Evangenitals (aka The Love Punks) were once a fictitious band – a fib on a phony website born to amuse its founders and maybe a few friends,” explains the band’s website. “On a whim, Juli Crockett, Lisa Dee, and Brett Lyda – who all worked at the same sex toy company in L.A. (like the Sex Pistols) – brought the ghost to life and debuted a handful of ‘hillbilly truck-stop lullabies’ for Arlo’s open mic night at the legendary Mr T’s Bowl in Highland Park.”

Juli Crockett, the lead vocalist and principle songwriter for the band, is also the Marketing Director at Stockroom.com, which sells sex toys and bondage gear through its website and catalog. Cybernet Expo will mark the first time that the band has played for an adult industry audience.

“The Evangenitals have played at wildly diverse venues – at weddings, funerals, churches, outdoor family festivals, political fundraisers, you name it – and every event and venue is different,” says Crockett. “This will be our first adult industry bash, and we’re not quite sure what to expect.”

“We plan to provide a real unique, sweet and slightly smutty musical experience for everyone and get our kicks from whatever toe-tapping and head bobbing we can get out of the crowd. If we are lucky enough to ignite some musical passions in the people, have some bras thrown our way, and cultivate some new and devoted groupies, that would be awesome.”

Stockroom.com, along with AEBN, will be sponsoring the Saturday evening performance, and Stockroom.com will also be participating in Cybernet Expo’s popular “Show n’ Sell” marketing event.

“We love AEBN,” says Crockett. “AEBN a great company staffed with good people and their giving of resources to events and causes that they believe in is inspirational. We are thrilled that they are bringing the Evangenitals to the Cybernet Expo and we think the attendees of the Expo will definitely thank them for it.”

Crockett is also a former boxer, and is rumored to be the inspiration for Hilary Swank’s character in the Oscar-winning film Million Dollar Baby. Her boxing career ended early due to injury.

The Evangenitals also feature Lisa Dee, Brett Lyda, Geoff Brandin, and George Bernardo. So what about their sound?

“Many people have reported that no matter how much someone tries to explain the Evangenital experience to them, they are always totally surprised by the way it actually sounds,” explains Crockett. “Very difficult to categories, we comfortably straddle the genres of Folk, Americana, Southern Rock, Alt Country, Indie Pop, and Psychedelic Funk.”

“The music can be beautiful, playful and humorous, sublime and/or profane, which we feel comes close to accurately reflecting the multi-faceted nature of the human soul. In the world of the Evangenitals a bittersweet tender love song can transform into a filthy, sexy hoe-down in seconds flat, and the journey feels familiar.“

Attendance at the Evangenitals performance is free, but will require a Cybernet Expo attendee badge. Advance registration for Cybernet Expo, along with its reduced registration rates, will end on May 26th. Additionally, hotel rooms for Cybernet Expo are almost sold out, but rooms are still available at the Hilton Westshore for the reasonable rate of $139 per night. Hotel rooms must be booked through the CybernetExpo.com website; anyone attempting to register directly with the Hilton Westshore will be told that the rooms are all sold out.

Cybernet Expo, which celebrates its 10th anniversary this year, is dedicated exclusively to the adult Internet business. The show offers seminars for online adult business owners, plus parties and networking events, and an opportunity to make new industry contacts. For more information about attending Cybernet Expo, please visit http://www.cybernetexpo.com/.

I am just giddy to get to the conference and see all of our friends, affiliates, and associates IN THE FLESH. Not that I don’t immensely enjoy the high-tech cyber-ways that I usually communicate with everyone in the biz — via blogs, IMs, phone calls, and email — it’s just that nothing quite compares to sharing some face to face time, shaking hands, looking each other straight in the eyes and hearing first hand how things are going.

There is something special about the Phoenix Forum. Perhaps it is simply my own nostalgia (I consider it to be the first “real” webmaster show that I ever attended) though I think it’s something more. I think it’s an excellent show, put on RIGHT, by a great company who knows how to throw a party.

I’ll be bringing the newest addition to my team, Amy, who is going to be experiencing the trial-by-fire initiation into all things affiliate/traffic/web-marketing at the show.

Amy is one of Stockroom.com’s top Customer Service providers, which made her a perfect candidate for an Affiliate Account Representative. Our plan is to continue extending the same legendary customer care that the Stockroom is known for on the retail end of things into our affiliate relations as well.

I’ve been holding down the fort the best I can, and I will continue to do so to some extent, with Amy acting as my right hand in all things affiliate.

In other news….

The Stockroom is going to have some BIG news in the upcoming weeks. Can’t tell you now, but keep your ears peeled and eyes out for the official announcement. This is gonna be good. 🙂

If you see him, please be sure to introduce yourself as a Stockroom affiliate. Feel free to ask him any questions or give him any suggestions you may have regarding the Stockroom.com affiliate program.

Although I can’t make it to this webmasters show, I will be attending The Phoenix Forum in March. The Phoenix Forum was the very first adult webmasters show I ever attended, actually, and one of the very, very best in my opinion. If you’re at all able to get there, don’t miss it!

If you’re going to be there, be sure to track me down and help me put faces to names. If you don’t know what I look like, you can check out my profile over on Adult Who’s Who to get a better idea of just who you are dealing with! Yes, I will most likely be wearing my faithful floppy hat!

p.s. If you’re not yet registered over on Adult Who’s Who, go register! It’s free, it’s fun, and it’s the one of the fastest-growing, award-winning networking site for adult webmasters.